Chapter 366: Chapter 358: Intentions

Lin Youning said a few more words, then bid farewell to her grandmother and the others, and took a carriage with her elder brother back to the East Mansion.

As soon as Lin Youning left, Mrs. Liu Sr.’s face turned cold. Sister Ying and Sister Hong saw that their grandmother was unhappy and didn’t dare to say much, and they got up and knelt down!

“I usually don’t say much to you, but just look at your behavior and manners today; it’s too improper. If it were just the women, it might have been okay, but since the Dingyuan Marquis is here, how could you just come in like this? Have you forgotten all the etiquette taught to you? Even though the Dingyuan Marquis is your cousin’s husband, he is still an outsider man, something you should remember. You usually know the rules, so why have you been so muddled today?” Mrs. Liu Sr. said with an even more displeased expression, and asked, “Did your mother tell you to come over?”

Mrs. Liu Sr. understood that Aunt Yan was someone who knew the rules and wouldn’t do such a thing. Without even thinking, she knew it had to be Ms. Sun, someone from a small family who didn’t understand these matters, who probably wanted to use this opportunity to give those two girls a chance to show themselves with ulterior motives.

“Do you really think your mother is doing this for your benefit? I think she intentionally let you break the rules. I won’t say more about this, and you should think about it yourselves. If you don’t understand, you can ask your aunt and see what she has to say.” Mrs. Liu Sr. waved her hand to signal for them to leave.

Sister Ying and Sister Hong left, but their expressions were not good. They seemed frightened, as it was the first time their grandmother had scolded them so severely in the Prime Minister’s Mansion. They didn’t go to Ms. Sun but went straight to Aunt Yan’s courtyard.

Aunt Yan saw her two daughters coming but wasn’t overly affectionate. She just let them sit down and asked a maid to bring tea and snacks before dismissing the rude servants.

“You don’t look well. Did something happen? You mustn’t break the rules now that the Dingyuan Marquis is in the mansion.” Aunt Yan, after all, was a lady from an official’s family and understood these things.

Her words made Sister Ying and Sister Hong’s faces even more unpleasant. They sat quietly, and Aunt Yan’s eyes flickered.

“Did you cause some trouble?”

Eventually, it was Sister Hong, being the elder sister, who explained the situation to Aunt Yan. After listening, Aunt Yan nodded. Although she didn’t scold her daughters, her expression was also unpleasant.

“Your grandmother was right in this matter. Even though your mother meant well for you and wanted to broaden your horizons, in reality, it caused you to break the rules. Even though your mother came from a small family, she should understand these rules. Yet she still let you go, and you should understand her intentions.” Aunt Yan didn’t need to elaborate further as Sister Ying and Sister Hong already understood.

Sister Ying looked displeased, “To think we’ve always respected her, yet she had ill intentions.”

Aunt Yan’s expression turned stern, and Sister Ying quickly stopped talking.

“Aunt, don’t worry. My sister was just upset and said something foolish. She’s usually very steady and never speaks like this,” Sister Hong quickly explained.

Aunt Yan’s expression softened a bit, “Even though Madam elevated you to legitimate daughters, you remain concubine’s daughters. Never forget your place. Besides, you should be content. Compared to the concubine’s daughters of other mansions, you are doing well. Madam is human, after all, and she is a woman. She has no children of her own, which already makes her discontented. Yet she still treats you calmly and peacefully, which is rare. Regardless, one should be grateful, and such words must never be spoken again. Moreover, when you left the old lady’s place, you should have first gone to Madam’s.”

Sister Hong and Sister Ying quickly admitted their mistakes.

Aunt Yan didn’t keep them any longer and waved them off directly.

Later, a maid came back to report that the two ladies went to Madam’s. Aunt Yan nodded with satisfaction, thinking these were her daughters indeed.

Ms. Sun saw the two girls admitting their mistakes to her and smiled, saying she hadn’t expected this. She comforted them with a few words, then let them leave. Her smile faded as they went.

“Fortunately, Aunt Yan still understands the rules and sent those two girls to apologize to me. Since she remembers her status and understands her place, I’ll let it go. I won’t target her children in the future.” Ms. Sun still had a look of pride.

What Ms. Sun did was, in fact, a warning to remind Ms. Yan that, even though she bore a son and daughter for the household, she was still just a concubine. While in the Prime Minister’s Mansion, Ms. Sun was the legitimate Madam.

The servants nearby dared not say much, only knowing that the Madame of the house was considered foolish. If it weren’t for the Prime Minister’s Mansion’s emphasis on etiquette, the master would have long divorced the Madam and elevated Aunt Yan, which wouldn’t have been impossible, especially since Madam hadn’t borne a child. Such a person could be easily discarded without much reproach.

Lin Youning naturally knew nothing of what was happening at the Prime Minister Liu’s Mansion. She sat in the carriage, teasing her elder brother, though she didn’t say much. But when she looked at her elder brother, she couldn’t help but smile.

Gu Yifeng naturally understood the meaning and helplessly held her horizontally in his arms, “You’re getting bolder, daring to tease me, aren’t you?”

Lin Youning blushed slightly and said nothing, only burying her face in his chest.

Gu Yifeng looked at her, smiling indulgently, and didn’t say much more.

When they returned to the East Mansion, Gu Yifeng had to go to the Marquis Mansion to pay respects to Mrs. Gu Sr., while Lin Youning was reluctant to go there, so Gu Yifeng allowed her to go back to the East Mansion to rest.

After returning to the East Mansion, Lin Youning had just sat down and changed her clothes when she heard that Dong Boyun had arrived.

It had only been about half a month since they last met. When Wu Xueqin had held a banquet, Dong Boyun went, but Lin Youning didn’t see her at that time.

Now, hearing the maid say she had come, she didn’t say much more and directly asked them to invite her in.

Dong Boyun’s belly had grown a bit larger. After sitting with Lin Youning on the couch, Dong Boyun sighed, “I have to say I’m lucky. You just returned home, otherwise, I would have missed you again.”

Upon hearing the word “again,” Lin Youning asked, “Did you come here yesterday as well?”

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